Seven Deadly Sins
by Kaizel
Summary: Pride. Lust. Gluttony. Sloth. Avarice. Envy. Wrath. The seven sins in the hands of one Re Suqhawe, a priest and expert exorcist.
1. Pride

**Chapter 1 – Pride**

_I laid out my hands in front of me, with my wand revolving in place. Eyeing the demon in front of me, I concentrated. Its skin started to burn. But it wasn't enough. I wasn't strong enough. I concentrated harder, and again, its skin started to burn. Still not enough._

_It screamed in pain, and aimed its gun at me. A surge of pain swept through my body as the shotgun in its hand made a loud "click". It pulled the trigger._

_Not thinking twice, I grabbed my wand and took a sidestep. The bullet completely missed me, and hit the door behind me. It fell on itself as a cloud of dust from the impact filled the room. _

_I grabbed my rosary and threw it in front of me, towards the demon. Taking my wand, I pointed it at it, and a blinding light emerged from my rosary. A holy light._

_The dust cleared, and I was able to see once again. In front of me lay the corpse…a dead, rotting corpse. Behind me, I heard a light applause from an unexpected audience. Mother Mathilda._

"_Bravo!" She yelled, clapping lightly. _

"_Since when have you been watching!" I demanded. She just looked at me and smiled. A smile I always hated._

"_Ever since you stepped foot in this cursed place," She said, breaking the silence. "You're getting better."  
_

"_Yeah, so what?" I asked. I never really liked her. She always nags me about the most ridiculous things, as if she was my own mother! I don't like her, and she doesn't like me either. No need to lie about it!_

_She went nearer to me and bent down a bit and said, "I think it's time. You're ready."_

_A feeling of joy overcame me. All hatred against her erased, as if I had total amnesia. I knew what she meant. I had enough faith in the Lord. I can take the test. I can finally become a priest! After 10 long years!_

_I just stood there. Speechless. But I was sure she could see the joy in my eyes. She snapped her fingers once, and everything faded. Next thing I knew, I was at the sanctuary standing next to her._

"_Ch…." I whispered to myself. "I could've done that. Myself."_

_I looked up to her. She looked back, yet again smiling. Why did she always smile as if nothing was wrong? Look around! Midgard is falling! How can she pretend everything is so lovely when people are dying everywhere?_

_I reached for the large front doors the sanctuary had, but she beat me to it. With a wave of her hand, they opened, heralding our arrival. In front stood the high priest of Midgard: Father Zhandros. _

_He looked no older than 50, yet he had a somewhat "young" appearance. Although his body wasn't in a top shape, it was certainly good for a man his age. His hair was black, with occasional whisps of gray, and his face had a very serious yet kind look to it._

"_Good morning, Mother Mathilda. Re." He greeted us, with his arms extended, as if about to hug us._

"_Good morning, father." She greeted. I did the same. "I believe Re here, is ready. He has a very high faith in the Lord." She explained, speaking very highly of me. Why? Was it to show that she "cared" for me? Please. "Thou shall not bear false witness against thy neighbor." The eighth commandment._

"_We shall put that to the test then." Father Zhandros uttered, facing me sternly._

_He led us to a room behind the altar. I walked briskly, wanting to close the door on Mathilda. But she just grabbed my hand. Even more, she seemed to walk slowly on purpose, as if to slow me down! I'm going to be a priest for God's sake! Can't I release my excitement?_

_Up front, Father Zhandros opened up a door and ushered us in. He then closed it, and the room was engulfed in total darkness. I heard a snap, but was unsure from who it came from: Zhandros or Mathilda. Nevertheless, a blue flame started circling the room, lighting it. In front was a long hallway whose end I couldn't see, save for a small light at the end. I took it I was suppose to cross it. I was right. Save for a few details._

"_Now we shall test your faith in the Lord God. The objective is to—"_

"—_cross the tunnel. Yeah yeah…" I said, finishing his statement for him. Mathilda hit me with her elbow on the ribs._

"_Right….but do you know what is in the tunnel?" Father Zhandros asked._

"_Err….no."_

"_Demons. They will not harm you. Instead, they will try and sway your faith from the Lord. To turn you away from him. Stay strong!"_

"_A word of caution: some demons might try and harm you, just send their souls back to heaven." Father Zhandros added. "Off you go." He said, pushing me forward. _

_I took a step into the tunnel. The lights turned off instantly. I looked around for Father Zhandros and Mathilda. I couldn't find them! I was totally blind in this darkness, save for the light up ahead._

_Then I realized something. I can make a blue light too. But a weaker one. I concentrated, then snapped my fingers. A small, blue flame appeared, smaller than that of Father Zhandros's, but it would have to do. _

_I took several more steps deeper. So far, nothing had happened…yet. The whole place was quiet, I couldn't hear a single thing, save for my breathing and footsteps, which were amplified by the silence._

_Suddenly, a zombie came into sight. I pointed my wand at it, and its skin began to burn as it fell to the ground almost instantly. In the blue light, I saw my wand better than before: made out of shrunk human bones, a rib cage near the tip of the wand, and a skull at the tip itself. I never really bothered to look at it very well. What mattered to me was that I actually had a wand!_

_I took a few more steps deeper. A chill went down my spine with each one. Not surprising. Who wouldn't at a pitch black place like this, especially when you know there are demons lurking around? _

_I heard a distant laughter. I was almost there! At the end of the tunnel! No, wait! The light from the other end of the tunnel was still a good distance away! _

_I drew my wand, bracing myself for anything. Of all times, I had to run out of mana. Hence, the blue flame died. Total darkness. Again._

_I heard the annoying laughter again. Made me want to kill it even more. That is, until I saw what it was._

_I turned around, and saw a small little devil: a deviruchi. _

"_Stay away, demon!" I yelled, though frozen in my tracks. _

_For a while, we just stared at each other. I saw its empty, lifeless eyes, yet stuck fear into myself. I had never been this annoyed yet afraid at the same time!_

_Then it spoke. "Hmph…what kind of magic do you call that?"_

"_White magic. Why?"_

"_I call it cheap magic tricks!" It jeered, raising its trident a little higher, then brought it down once more._

"_And what do you have? A dinner fork?" I replied. _

_It launched a ball of lightning that was intended to miss me. Probably to shock me. But….I wonder what would've happened if it hit me? Zhandros assured I would not get harmed! Guess I'll never find out…_

"_Hey, listen. I can amplify your power. See this card?" It told me as it drew a card. _

_It was unlike anything I've ever seen….I haven't seen a single merchant selling it, or a knight using it in battle. No. This must be one of a kind. But as with all things in life, nothing comes free._

"…_and what do you want for that?" I asked._

"_I would never give this to a priest! Why would I? They'd only exorcise me! Now, if you took a different path….I mean, quit being a priest…or an acolyte for that matter!"_

_I considered it for a moment. I never really wanted to be an acolyte. Come to think of it, why DID I become an acolyte? I thought I wanted to be a mage, and use black magic? What the heck happened? All a blur. As usual. I seem to remember nothing but my acolyte days. Why?_

"_Well?" It asked. "Do you—"_

"—_want it?" I completed his statement. "Hell yeah!"_

"_Then go and give up—"_

"_No wait. I have another offer."_

"_What?"_

"_How 'bout I just kill you right here?" And with that, I blasted him._

_I threw my rosary in front of me and pointed my wand at it. Like before, a blinding light hit it, burning its skin, and, if I'm not mistaken, its soul as well._

_I snapped my fingers once more. A blue flame once more circled me, granting me sight. In front, I could see the demon's lifeless body. Just lying there. Motionless. Dead. Near it, lay its trident and the card. I rushed over to get it, then pocketed it._

_Almost instantly, Father Zhandros appeared before me._

"_You've failed. You gave into temptation and failed to send this soul back to—" He paused, seeing the corpse._

"_Failed to…..what?" I said, with a smirk on my face. I didn't remember him saying about not taking any item, just keep your faith. I found a loophole._

_He looked back at me in shock after analyzing the corpse. I smiled even more. "Well? I don't remember you saying NOT to do any of this. All you said was to keep my faith in the Lord. If I didn't, I would've given up being an acolyte. If I didn't, I would throw away my rosary, and if I didn't have faith in the lord, I wouldn't have been able to kill it. Because, as you say, it is in God's will that we—"_

"—_exorcise. Yes. But—"_

"—_but what? There's nothing else you can do. I haven't done anything against the requirements, and that would allow me to become a priest!"_

"_Fine. I won't deprive you the gift you deserve. But only 'cause your mind is something else." He told me. I was almost certain he was referring to the countless other loopholes I had found. An example would be the time I was applying to be an acolyte. He said I should see Mother Mathilda in Morocc. I did. In a picture. Nothing against the requirements, eh?_

_Again, he snapped his fingers. Again, I could've done it. We reappeared by the altar, where Mathilda was waiting anxiously, for some strange reason. Apparently, she was waiting for me._

"_Re!" She exclaimed, seeing my presence along with Father Zhandros's. "Well? How did it go? Was he able to—"_

"—_he found—"_

"—_a loophole?" She asked, eyeing me. Guess she just couldn't fathom my wit._

"_Ok, well we should go on…unless…there're some other tests?" She asked as she put a grin on her face._

"_No. He's done." He assured her. "Re, follow me. Mathilda, sorry. But you have to stay here."_

_Lucky me._

_He led me to yet another door behind the altar: this time to the right. And yet again, he opened it, and ushered me in, then closed the door behind him._

"_Before I turn you into a priest, and give you your new clothes, you must swear an oath before me." He explained._

"_Ok, sure, whatever. Just hurry it up!" I said, the excitement running through my blood as the moment came nearer._

"_Do you swear to the Lord that you shall always be at the service of others; helping and protecting them?"_

"_Yes, I do." I solemnly responded._

"_Do you swear to the Lord that you will cast away any and all demons, and send their souls back to Heaven in His holy name?"_

"_Yes, I do."_

"_Do you reject Satan and all of his accomplices?"_

"_Yes, I do." _

"_Congratulations!" He told me, as he went to the back and took a blackish-brown and red outfit. My priest outfit! "Here. And—" He gave me the clothes. I immediately went to one of the corners and wore them. Oh I looked so cool! "—here. Take this bible. Use it as your guide, and may God always be with you! Off you go!" He said, giving me the bible and sending me off, to one my skills and be in the service of others. Bah, whatever! I was going into the most infamous abandoned castles in Midgard: Glast Heim. To exorcise the demons within, and to hone my skills._

_I opened the door and strode off. Naturally, Mathilda walked up to me and sounded very surprised._

"_Oh—my—God! You're a priest! Finally a priest! Now you can—"_

_I stopped her statement, putting my palm between my face and hers. I wasn't her acolyte anymore to tag along. I was free. Free even, to get an acolyte of my own. _

"_Oh…." She said, the joy in her voice sounding disappointed. I actually felt some remorse for doing that. But what the hell, it was true, and she needed to hear the truth._

"_As you know, my becoming a priest ends my being your acolyte. Sorry." I sincerely said, and although I despised her, I knew she was feeling bad enough about me leaving her, so it was the least I could do. _

_I left her to her tears and head for the door. I placed my palms on them and pushed hard, announcing my arrival._

"_By the way, I'll be at Glast Heim if you need me." I voiced out as I closed the large, oak doors behind me. I could've sworn I heard her sobbing loudly inside, mourning her loss._

_Could've._


	2. Father Yosuke

**Chapter 2 – Father Yosuke**

_I awoke the next morning quite late. I took a quick shower, put on my robes and head downstairs._

_To my surprise, there was an additional person on the breakfast table; Father Yosuke. The one priest I looked up too. Ever since I was an acolyte he always guided me on what to do next, and I idolized him. Too bad he had to go away on a pilgrimage much, MUCH more perilous than the one I was SUPPOSE to undergo…_

"_Re!" He exclaimed, turning around to face me._

"_Father Yosuke!" I yelled as I walked briskly towards him. "So….how was that pilgrimage?"_

"_I just warped there."_

"_Oh, I see." Obviously, we were sarcastic, but I think some acolytes took it literally. Poor them._

_There was a vacant seat beside him. I took the liberty of taking it, to catch up with him._

_He looked at me, then his eyes widened. Apparently, he hadn't noticed._

"_You're already a priest?" He exclaimed, as he looked at Mathilda. She ignored him and continued eating her egg. "When….when did you—"_

"—_yesterday. I can already—"_

"..do you know how to exorcise—"

"—exorcise demons and undead…"

"…"

"…"

_We paused for a while as I ate a bit. _

_The rest of the morning seemed to pass by quickly as I caught up with Father Yosuke. After breakfast, we lay under a tree in the fields._

_Father Yosuke sat down, his back against the trunk of the tree. It was a bright, sunny day, there were hardly any clouds, and the sky was as blue as ever. "Blessings from God", as he told me._

_He stretched out his arm and an apple fell from the tree. I always wondered how he did it, or even how a priest did it…._

_I looked at him. He didn't change much. Even after 10 years. From the looks of it, I'd say he was no older than 40. His hair was still the same shoulder-length dark blue color, full of energy, bouncing up and down each time he ran, of course he didn't do that much now. Then I saw mounted by his waist was the Grand Cross: a cruciform mace blessed by the pope. In other words, the pope himself saw Father Yosuke as a very able person. Not surprising._

_Then he turned around and saw me looking at his mace, envying it, as I honestly did._

"_You know what your problem is?" He said, as he bit into his apple. "You're not content with what you have."_

_Great, more lectures. As if Mathilda didn't give me enough. Even though I admired him a lot, I hated lectures. Not even if they were from Yosuke._

"_Tell me, what makes you satisfied? What makes you happy?"_

"_Others' happiness." I lied. He saw through me._

"_You expect me to believe that? That's what a priest examiner wants to hear! Now, honestly. Tell me. It doesn't matter what it is. Priests are mortals too, after all."_

_I thought about it for a while, digging for an answer. What DID make me happy? Well, his coming back made me happy. But I can't say that. Too gay._

"_When…..when I became…"_

"_Yes?"_

"_When I became a priest!"_

"_Of course. Who wouldn't? The fruit of years of labor. BUT--"_

_I knew it! He's a living lie-detector._

"—_you're still lying."_

_I thought hard. He wasn't going to stop until I told the truth. He was creeping closer and closer. It suddenly came over me: He was reading my mind._

"_Fine! I confess! Nadine! Nadine Elisiri!"_

"_Nadine….wasn't she—"_

"—_an acolyte, yes!"_

"_And you do know priests aren't allowed to have a sexual relationship with others, ESPECIALLY a co-priest."_

"_I know that, but….."_

"_But what?"_

"_Well, I never really wanted to be a priest at first. I wanted to be a wizard, really, but…..something happened. I don't remember."_

"_Well….at least you're honest. Your secret's safe with me."_

_Thank the Lord! One of the many reasons I like him._

_I didn't realize, but I dozed off under the tree. It was heavenly, one of the best naps I've ever had. The gentle wind and the blue sky my lullaby._

_Though a nice sleep, it was a horrible nightmare._

_I was in a dark, quiet hallway. A prison, to be exact. Slivers of moonlight came through the windows. It was empty. The cells were empty, save for a few, which had corpses of prisoners in them._

_I started walking. I had no idea how to get out. _

_I reached a fork and had a choice: Right or left? I chose the left path._

_Then I stopped in my tracks._

_At the far end of the corridor, I heard a "clinging" sound….like that of chains. Shackles. I could've sworn I skipped a beat. _

_I decided to turn around and go the other way. The right path._

_But yet again, I heard the shackles. I walked faster. The scene became more and more grim with each step; blood on the walls, mutilated bodies….I couldn't stand it! I began to burst into a sprint._

_The hall was getting darker and darker. I was seeing less and less. I snapped my fingers. Nothing. "Ruwach!" I shouted. Not even the incantation worked. Nothing. Total, pure darkness._

_Then a hand from one of the cells grabbed my neck. I turned to look at it._

_I was petrified both by fear and shock. A bloody, mutilated face stared back at me through lifeless eyes. I recognized the face, though. It was me. ME! But how was this possible? I reached for my wand….._

_Then I woke up. I looked around. In the distance, Father Yosuke was walking back towards the sanctuary, apparently in a rush. It was getting dark, so I stood up and went back. _

_As I walked, I tried to remember the dream: A dark, haunting tower. But I was sure I haven't seen anything like it on any map…_


	3. A Tub of Lust

**Chapter 3 – A Tub of Lust**

The next day, I woke up quite late. I rushed to the shower and took a bath. A hot, soothing bath…to cleanse my sins.

The water had filled up the bath tub. I took off my clothes and dipped the tip of my foot into the water. It was hot. I slowly pushed it further, to make my body adapt.

After a few minutes, I was finally able to lie down and relax. The water was doing miracles to me…a feeling I never felt before. A cool, gentle breeze occasionally swept through the room from a small window near the top of the room. It ventilated the room quite well, though the only one in the room, for obvious reasons: privacy. Can't let everyone in Prontera see your naked body!

"Whatever happened to Father Yosuke?" I wondered. When I went back yesterday, he was nowhere to be found, although I could've sworn I was behind him all the time. Strange.

I held my breath and sunk my head into the water. It wet my hair and face almost instantly.

New to the heat, my face was burning, yet the rest of the body felt soothing. I opened my eyes. Everything was blurry. Naturally.

I resurfaced my head as I took a deep breath. The air rushed in my lungs and revitalized me. Suddenly, I felt something was missing.

I looked to my left. My towel was missing.

MY TOWEL'S MISSING? OH MY GOD!

That was stupid! My clothes are back in my room, and the only way to get there from here, UNSEEN, was by covering myself in my towel…which apparently, I didn't have.

I immediately stood up, as the water ran down my body. I then stepped out of the tub, and the floor instantly flooded. The water from my body was flooding the floor.

"This is bad!" I thought to myself. It really was……how the heck am I suppose to get dressed?

Suddenly, I heard a knock on the door. My eyes darted towards it. Then I noticed something else wasn't right. The door was unlocked.

Holy ! What a day! I rushed towards it to close it, but I slipped. It was too late as the knob turned and the door slowly slid open….

I watched helplessly as a human figure slowly stepped in.

"Re?" The voice called out as it quickly closed the door. I blushed even heavier than before! It was…

"Nadine?" I embarrassingly said as I lay on the floor, naked.

We stared at each other for a moment. She wasn't wearing anything, either, save for a towel wrapped around her waist and breasts, her oh so large breasts…..No! What am I thinking? This was the first time we ever met, and I didn't even know she knew I existed, and here I am, on the floor, naked. Sheesh, talk about a first impression.

"Umm...uhh…I'm—" She said as she covered her eyes from the sight before her—me. "—I'm sorry…I'll leave." She quickly opened the door.

"No, wait!" I yelled, not knowing what the hell I was saying. What, now I wanted sex or something? "It's—it's alright."

This was definitely not going well. I was possessed. The lust inside me building up…I couldn't stand it.

She closed the door once more and locked it. Then, she placed her hands on the towel, and she slowly removed it, exposing her large breasts.

I felt my genitals harden. This was one sight I would never forget. I slowly stood up, seeing as she was nude herself, and slowly walked towards her.

"Ummm….Re….I have to…..I have to take a bath." She said as she pulled my hand towards the tub. Why was she doing this? I was almost certain she'd want some privacy….but then again….

We reached the tub, and she, like me, dipped her foot into the hot water. She quickly went in and soaked herself….

Moments later, she ushered me to join her. I blushed so much that my body felt warmer than when I was in the tub myself. She made room for me, and with her body in that position, who couldn't resist?

I went in, with my eyes closed…and still blushing heavily. I slowly lowered my foot in, then I….I felt something….soft. Something…something that felt very good. I opened my eyes.

To my shock, I realized that I had accidentally lowered my foot into her breasts. I quickly took it back. She, on the other hand, didn't seem to mind. As if it was okay with her. Was she enticing me?

I decided to try again.

Again, I slowly lowered my foot into the tub, this time landing flat at the bottom. Then I lowered my other foot. Then the rest of my body. And not very long after that, I found myself lying down in a tub with a naked woman. It felt utterly wrong, yet felt heavenly at the same time, seeing her breasts were touching my chest.

Then, unexpectedly, she slowly motioned towards my crotch and held it. That was truly the most unexpected thing I ever experienced. I was blushing heavily, as was she. Then, she reluctantly took it back, seeing my expression when she did that.

"I—I'm sorry."

"No…it's…it's okay." What the hell was I saying? That sounded so wrong…

Still….it must be born out of my feelings for her.

I slowly motioned towards her, placed my arms around her, and then, without warning, kissed her smack on the lips. At first, I felt her….hesitating, but later on, she held on to me and placed her arms around me as well. Then, I placed my legs around hers, as we shared one passionate kiss…..

I let go, then she followed. Our faces were as red as ever, blushing so heavily.

"Umm….Re…I have—" She began saying, "—I have something…to confess."

I gave her a nod, as if signaling I wanted to hear what she had to say.

"Re…you know how I never seemed to talk to you before?" She began.

"Yeah."

"Well….it was only because I was….shy."

"Shy of what?"

"Well, you see….I had one of the biggest crushes on you."

"Y-You did?" I asked, shocked.

"Y-Yes. You're smart, witty and handsome: everything I want in a guy."

I looked at her eyes sternly, as if looking for any signs of lying. She was, after all, a very popular person around Prontera, and as I've seen, they tend to either hide their feelings or make up some.

But there was nothing. What she told me was genuine. She really was in love with me…

…and I with her. What could be a better combination?

But, there was one thing holding us back.

"I know it's forbidden for a priest to have a deep, romantic relationship with someone else…but…" She confessed. "I can't help it….it's just….human nature. God meant for male and female to be bonded together."

A moment of silence. She looked at me as if she was going to cry. Feeling rejected, disappointed, sad.

Then, I broke the silence. "You know what?" I began, "I feel the same way too." I said as I caressed the skin on her cheeks, and she threw her arms around mine and kissed me yet again.

Then, I heard yet another disturbing sound coming from the door. It was being unlocked. Who wouldn't want to? I mean, I've been here an hour already.

Yet again, the knob turned. And yet again, the door slowly swung open.

A young monk about my age stepped in, and saw the two of us, who, in turn, stared back at him. The same moment of awkwardness dawned upon me as we stared at each other for a couple of minutes, before the monk whispered, "Oh my God!" as he closed the door.

I turned around to look at Nadine. She looked back with a look of confusion on her face. I then stood up and helped her get up as well. (Her big breasts brushing my legs….)

I tried to remember the monk's face. I've seen him somewhere else before….


	4. Gluttony

**Chapter 4 - Gluttony**

I opened the door to my room as I bade Nadine goodbye. We had to part. No one else could see us together. Yet another cliché forbidden love.

I slowly stepped in and closed the door behind me. Left of me was my cabinet. I head for it and started picking out my clothes.

I decided not to wear my robes today. No special occasion. No masses I have to attend to. No sick people I have to cure. Nothing at all. One whole day of doing whatever we wanted.

I slid the bottom drawer open. It was where I placed my pants. I grabbed a denim pair; dark blue with the bottom parts ragged and torn….just a fashion statement I guess.

I closed it, placed the pants on my bed, then opened the second drawer from the bottom; this time where I kept my shirts. I rummaged through the pile, looking for the perfect one to go with my pants. I took out a red and orange one. Too flashy. A plain blue one. Too plain. Black and white? Too mime-like.

Then I picked out a gray shirt with silver linings running down the middle and some other parts. I thought it looked good with my pants. Like my pants, I placed them on the bed. I opened the third drawer, where my underwear lay, and picked out a pair. Hastily, I put them on.

I slowly walked over to my bed and picked up the pair of pants. I wore them. First, I put my right leg in…then my left, and soon, I zippered and buttoned it. Then I picked up my shirt and put it over myself, inserting my right and left arms into the right and left sleeves respectively.

I walked over to where my mirror lay and looked at myself. Okay…I guess. I never was much of a critic.

Turning around, I head for the door, and slowly, I turned the knob and slid the door open.

To my surprise, a woman stood at my doorstep. Nadine. A black pair of pants, a deep purple blouse, and a dark colored jacket on her once naked body. She put a crescent moon hairpin on her hair, and tucked it behind her ears. The side opposite that was almost covering her left eye, combed in such a way. She had two earrings as well; ornate, black crosses. All in all, she looked like one hot chick to me.

"Nadine….I thought we agreed that we can't stay together?"

"I know...but…can't we at least be friends?" She asked, putting on a very happy smile, contradicting her 'gothic chick' look. "C'mon! We already missed breakfast…we should have lunch!" She exclaimed, tugging my hand downstairs.

I looked at the clock on the wall. 1:00pm. We were actually late for lunch as well.

As we neared the bottom of the stairwell, she let go of my hand and turned around, yet gain smiling. I knew why. In front of us lay a feast fit for a king. Although why such a feast was prepared, I had no idea.

I searched for a sign. My eyes darted to the right. Nothing. To the left. Nothing, still.

"Today's Mother Mary's birthday." She said, looking at me in the eyes. I looked back and stared at her pure, indigo eyes, and replied, "Is that so?"

Once again, she grabbed my hand and pulled me over to the one, untouched table; all the others had been used and were already cleaned up. I helped her to her seat and sat down myself.

A helper came dashing out of the kitchen towards us, saying, "Is everything alright?"

"Yes. This'll do." Nadine replied.

Then he went back in the kitchen. I could've sworn I heard him curse us. I mean, who can blame him? He had to wait an extra two hours (lunch at the sanctuary was served at 11:00am) just for the two of us. Forgivable…in a way….

I took my inverted plate and flipped it. Then, slowly standing up, I said, "Shall we?", offering her to start eating. She did the same; took her inverted plate, flipped it and stood up.

We motioned towards the buffet table. Although we could see that people had eaten it, at least the cooks reheated it. There was roast chicken, pasta, curry and so much more. On the far end of the table, I saw one last crepe. Thank God there were still some left…I absolutely adored those!

Being a gentleman dictated to me to wait for her to make the first move. Thankfully, she chose quickly. She motioned towards the roast chicken, took a piece and poured gravy over it. Lots and lots of gravy. Then she went over to the pasta, lasagna to be precise, and took a handful. Apparently, this was all her stomach could take then went near me once more.

"Aren't you hungry?" She asked, as I was waiting for her to finish.

"No. Just being a gentleman." Honestly, I thought the phrase sounded awkward and stupid, but I was at a loss of words.

I then motioned towards the buffet myself and chose some dishes; roast chicken, fettuccini, some wonton dumplings….then I looked over at the crepe, oh glorious crepe. There was only one last piece, and it looked so….so…mouthwatering! I couldn't stand it! I had to eat it!

But then, something told me not to. I turned around and saw Nadine, and sure enough, was also staring at the last crepe. Though I was famished and this…this….crepe was luring me closer and closer to it. A thin slice of pancake wrapped around cut slices of bananas with ice cream on top oozing with delicious chocolate syrup. I was sure my mouth was watering already…

But I can't…what would she think of me? What would I be? Greedy? Would I be a thief for getting it for her? No. A glutton.

"Want some crepe?" I offered, looking sternly at Nadine.

"There's only one left…" She hesitated.

"You can have it."

"We can share then." She said, winking at me. Fate was kind, after all.

She motioned towards it and grabbed a small dessert plate. She took the crepe with the serving spoon and laid it on her plate gently. I rushed over to take the burden of having to carry it back away from her. Yet whether it was for my feelings for her, or my own greed, I didn't know.

I laid the small plate on the table, in the middle. Then my plate, then I helped Nadine sit down, and did so myself.

I was about to start eating when my conscience once again kicked me. I dropped my fork and looked over to Nadine. She was praying. For these graces from God. How rude of me.

I put my hands together in prayer and did the Signum Crucis; sign of the cross.

"Bless us, o Lord and these they gifts…" I began. "…which we are about to receive…"

"…from thy bounty through Christ our Lord, Amen." Nadine continued. Somehow, I found a smile form on my face.

"Well…shall we?" She asked.

I simply smiled. The first time I had in ages. Last time, I guess was when I became an acolyte…..

…oh and when I turned into a priest…mustn't forget that!

I looked over to her. She took her knife and fork, then sliced a good piece of chicken. She slowly placed it into her mouth, and somewhere along the way, our eyes met in a weird kind of way…

"What?" She asked.

"Nothing…"I said, kind of…chuckling.

I took my fork and started eating the fettuccini first. I poked my fork in, then started twirling the noodles, like a whirlpool at sea. Strangely, it amused me, and I couldn't stop. How childish.

"Ummm….Re?" Nadine noticed. I quickly shoved it in my mouth, feeling so embarrassed, but never really noticed how much I got until it entered my mouth.

Half of the dish was now in my mouth, and I was gagging. Couldn't breathe.

"Re? RE!" Nadine yelled, rushing to my aid. This was so stupid. I don't want to die! It's such a weird reason for death. I imagined it:

Name: Re Suqhawe  
Cause of death: suffocated; ate too much pasta at one given time.

Freaky.

A miracle though, I was able to swallow it after a few minutes. My eyes darted to the left, sensing a presence. Nadine had been there all the while, her hand patting my back, easing my breathing. She looked troubled; worried….for me? Was that how she felt? I was so embarrassed. My stupidity had caused this.

"Thank you…" I softly voiced out.

"You alright?" She asked.

"Yeah. Let's just...let's just get back to eating then…" I wasn't really sure if these were the right words; she looked somewhat….offended.

I wasn't in the mood to eat anymore. But apparently, Nadine wasn't either. Our eyes gazed at the dish in the center of the table. The mouthwatering crepe.

"We were gonna—"

"—share?" We said in unison.

To make things easier, I decided to sit next to her. I took my plastic chair, lifted it, then went beside Nadine. I took the crepe and pulled it nearer us.

"You first" I courteously offered.

She took her fork and sliced quite a big piece of the crepe. Err….did she want the crepe as much as I did? Well two people can play this game!

Surprisingly, she didn't eat it. Instead, she carefully put the fork into my mouth. What the heck, she fed me!

But there was something divine about the feeling. The crepe felt heavenly, yet the hand that gave was immortal; it just made the crepe taste…somewhat sweeter.

I looked at her. Yet again, she was smiling. Why was she always smiling? Why was her day so…happy? Was it because of me? Or….

"Hey, Nadine—" I was cut short. She fed me some more crepe, and yet again, the delicious dish slowly descended down my throat. But it wasn't enough. I must have more!

Now, only half of the dish was left; it was relatively small to begin with. Nadine hasn't eaten any, and it'd only be fair to let her have some, yet I wanted more!

I quickly drew my fork and took a slice of the crepe. Instant heaven. Nadine, on the other hand, looked at me with doubt; Was this the Re she knew?

Now, only a fourth of the crepe was left. I couldn't contain myself. I was possessed. In a mere fraction of a second, I swiped the crepe and ate it.

Without thinking, my eyes darted to the left. Nadine looked as if she was about to cry, her smile ripped from her face. I couldn't stand the guilt.

"O-oh….l-look at the time!" She said. She was trying to hide her tears, resulting in a very frail tone. "I-I'm suppose to meet up with my friends now….t-take care!"

She just left her seat and rushed out the door without glancing at me. Understandable.

This made me think and reflect. What kind of a person am I?

Slowly, I walked towards the door and stepped outside. Nadine was nowhere to be found. But she wasn't who I was looking for.

I looked up at the afternoon sky as the clouds passed by. Fakir. He had come back to the sanctuary.


	5. Upbeat Tempo

**Chapter 5 – Upbeat Tempo**

Why hadn't I thought of that before? Didn't I recognize his face? Fakir was back. He saw me with Nadine.

But why is he at the sanctuary? He's supposed to be at the monastery with the monks!

Just then, I heard a rustling of leaves nearby. Quickly turning, I head towards the noise. I ran out of the walls of Prontera, into a thick forest. It was a peaceful place, where I usually hung around as an acolyte, with just the man I was looking for; Fakir.

I heard the rustling once more. He was luring me.

I ran southwards, where the noise was leading me. Then I stopped in my tracks.

I quickly hid behind a tree, though I knew he could sense my presence. In front of me was a meditating Fakir, sitting in a peaceful manner, hovering meters above the ground. I took out my rosary and started praying.

I held it out in front of me, aiming it at him. A blinding light emerged and head straight towards him.

He, on the other hand, glared at me and raised an arm. Then I saw it: He had a rosary of his own, wrapped around his hand. I knew what he was going to do.

Too bad I couldn't react fast enough.

The spell he cast shattered mine; mainly because I didn't concentrate enough and wanted to cast the spell as soon as possible. Now I knew that was bad. Really bad.

I struggled to side-jump quick enough to dodge it. How unfortunate it was that I tripped. I lay there helpless, hopeless, as the blinding light head straight toward me.

Good-bye, Midgard!

It hit me. I flew off a couple of meters away. I could feel myself bleeding. Internally. I landed on my back, and made a loud thud. I struggled to get up, but the most I could do was stand on both legs and arms, choking blood.

I saw Fakir stand up and slowly walk towards me. Was he going to kill me and flush all our memories down the toilet?

Then I looked back down; in shame, and saw it: A beautiful, red rose, covered in my blood.

"Nadine…" I helplessly whispered as Fakir drew closer.

This can't be my last moment! Not after what I did! I had to find the strength inside, and stand up, fight back! I held the rose near my heart, as if looking for a source of inspiration.

"Re…" Fakir said, softly, "…my dear friend."

"What the hell! First you want to kill me, then—" I stopped as I choked out more blood. I held the rose closer and closer, finding the strength from within.

He reached in his pocket and took out two, ornate, black gloves, with spikes where the knuckles are. He put it on his right finger, then his left, and once again, glared at me. "Now is the age of cleansing. All sin will finally be destroyed, and a new, perfect world shall emerge from the ashes."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Sinners. They disgust me. They destroy this gift God has given us; the world in which we live in." He said, now pocketing his rosary, and looking at me through devilish eyes. His silver hair swayed in the wind as he went into his fighting stance. He was going to kill me. "I'm sorry, but to do this—"

"—I have to start with you."

Instantly, he was dashing towards me in a zigzag pattern, seemingly accelerating each time he switched directions. I had to do something, quickly!

Paralyzed by fear, I couldn't run. My legs didn't want to move. He was coming closer. There had to be something!

Then I realized what I had to do. I reached in my pocket and took out a blue gemstone: a vital magic-aid that will shatter after casting certain complicated spells, instead of injuring the caster.

He was now only meters away. I had to act fast. I held the gemstone out, and concentrated, praying to God as I did.

The moment seemed to go on forever as time seemingly slowed down. I saw in his eyes the vigor and fury, ready to kill even a childhood friend.

As Fakir punched as strong as he could, the stone lit up, and a pink pillar of light emerged from the ground. His fist met the barrier around me, and all the force in his punch reflected back to him. His fist bled as he gripped it tightly with his left hand, moaning in pain.

"How is that even possible?" He said, throwing what seemed to be a bluish-white ball with something inside, like a spirit.

It hit me hard in the chest, and I flew several meters away, finally landing on my back. I struggled to stand up. This time, Fakir was headed towards me, mad as ever.

I ran to my right, as fast as I could. Then something hit my ankle. A bullet. Someone was sniping at me.

I looked up at the roof of the sanctuary. There, a man with silver hair, wearing an all-black outfit and a shotgun stood, eyeing me. He reached in his pocket, and took out a knife. Slowly, he hurled it at me. It hit the ground I was once on, as I rolled several times to the left, then finally stood up.

I struggled to get inside the sanctuary, thinking I would be safe. I thought wrong. Fakir blasted the front doors, as I looked around for a place to hide. The sun had just set, and darkness filled the Sanctuary. Pews lined the aisle on either side, and in front, lay a very beautifully decorated altar, with Jesus on the crucifix above it.

I hid beneath one of the pews as Fakir strode pass. Without hesitating or thinking, I checked my ankle. Taking out my rosary, I prayed to God, the Father, and it healed almost instantly, if my concentration hadn't been broken by yet another gunshot. The silver haired guy came in, walking over the debris.

"Fakir!" The man said in a very vulgar way, "What happened to this "RE" of yours?" He bellowed, smiling a devilish smile.

I skipped a beat as he glanced over at me. His smile widened. He knew where I was.

He went over to the aisle, and one by one, he blasted the pews; sooner or later, he would find me.

Fakir, on the other hand, opened one of the doors and went upstairs to where the priests and acolytes were….including Nadine. But I had other things to worry about. The man was getting closer and closer, and before I knew it, he just blasted the pew right next to the one I was hiding behind, when he stopped.

I found out why. Outside, a group of knights and crusaders heard the commotion and decided to investigate. Quickly, he holstered his shotgun behind his back, and took out his machine gun. He blasted them all to oblivion in less than a second. I actually stared in awe, but as he looked back at the pews and took out his shotgun once more, I was yet again, paralyzed by fear.

It was a full moon tonight, and in this light, I finally realized who he was; Kaizel. Another one of my childhood friends, who seemingly disappeared after Fakir transferred to the monastery.

Then I saw a small handgun strapped to his ankle. Bad move. I could easily get it. I just needed an opportunity. Something had to come up this very moment.

Thank God my request was granted. The priests upstairs were screaming for help as Fakir strangled the so-called 'sinners'. Kaizel merely chuckled as he looked at the stairway, where a body had just fallen. Ironically, it was Father Zhandros's, the high priest.

Without a moment to spare, I quickly took the handgun. He didn't notice it, as he was musing himself, listening to their screams. He looked back at the pews to discover a handgun in front of his face.

"There you are!" He taunted, attempting to bring up his shot gun.

I, on the other hand, brought the gun closer, until it touched his face. He seemed….too calm though.

"Go on! Shoot!"

I didn't hesitate. I pulled the trigger.

Click. Nothing happened. There were no bullets. He knew that from the start, and possibly used it as bait for me. I, on the other hand, was stupid enough to take it.

And now, I had to act extremely fast, if I wanted to live, knowing what he'd do next.

He pulled the trigger of his shotgun. I scurried off behind one of the pews and attempted to throw it. The adrenaline built up inside me and I lifted, then threw it at him. He simply shot it, splitting it into two pieces, not harming him at all.

I took out my rosary and prayed. An angel appeared above him, and threw three swords at him. He didn't see it coming and tried to shoot it. Naturally, the bullets went through it and hit the ceiling, making it collapse. I quickly ran after him as he moved back to dodge the falling debris. A bold move, if I must say so myself. The debris would've fallen on me if I hadn't acted fast enough.

I quickly took his machine gun, and hid it behind my back. Seeing me, he took his shotgun and pointed it at me. I pointed his own machine gun at him.

At this point, no one wins, no one loses. We both die. If I pull the trigger, his first instinct would be to pull his, and vice versa. There was no escaping it.

Like a coward, he ran outside. I pulled the trigger of the machine gun. He turned around and shot at the speeding bullets, their collision making an explosion.

What accuracy! I've never seen that done before!

But as the smoke subsided, he was nowhere to be found. The gunner, Kaizel had disappeared. I looked outside. There was nothing.

Save for skid marks on the road. He obviously had a motorcycle with him.

It still pains me to know that Fakir wants me dead so badly, he even took Kaizel with him.

But I can't let my mind wander freely just yet. I had other things to attend to.

What might have Fakir done to Nadine?


	6. Endless Fields

**Chapter 6 – Endless Fields**

I quickly ran upstairs. Bodies littered the hallway that branched out to the different rooms the Sanctuary had. I checked my room. It was totally destroyed. Heck, it wasn't even there! Fakir, in his fury, blasted it to oblivion. Still carrying the machine gun in my hand, I hid it behind my back and opened Nadine's door. There she lay, bloody, but still breathing, on her bed. I ran towards her and looked at her sleeping face.

I wiped the blood out of her cheeks. Then, I took out my rosary and prayed. For what seemed like an hour, I prayed to God, asking Him to heal her, as my healing magic was apparently not enough.

An angel in white descended and touched her forehead. The angel looked at me through sapphire eyes; a message from God. My tale had begun to unfold. The blasphemous hypocrite, Fakir, had to be sent down to Hell by God's command, for the fate of the world.

I nodded in agreement, as Nadine opened her eyes. She quickly gripped my shirt, struggling for air. Then a rose fell from my pocket to the floor. I picked it up. It was the bloody rose turned black, as a result of dried blood. I showed it to her and she took it, and gripped it as tight as she could.

"Re…" She softly said, gripping the rose, wounding herself with its thorns. "What's going on?"

"I'll explain later. Right now, we have to get out of here."

I took her hand and helped her get up. Just then, another gunshot blasted part of her room. She screamed in terror, not even knowing what was going on.

I walked over to the exposed part, took the gun, then—"

"Re!"

"What?" I hastily replied. It was obviously about the gun.

"Why do you have a gun?"

"I took it from one of the people destroying the Sanctuary. It's necessary to survive! What? You want us to bonk them with sticks, while preaching the word of God? Well here's the thing: That doesn't work."

She thought for a while, then finally considered it. She stood up and went closer to me.

I, on the other hand, aimed at that damn Kaizel. His black suit was an eyestrain to find in this darkness. Just then, he fired straight at me. It was so quick, I couldn't react fast enough. Nadine though, created a barrier around me. Protecting me. Seeing this, Kaizel rode this motor cycle and drove away.

"We have to go! Jump!" I exclaimed.

"Jump?"

No time to explain as I always did. I took her in my arms and jumped down. Without even willing it, angels took us and brought us down gently on the ground. God was on our side, not theirs. Not even five steps and I saw yet another motorcycle. Fakir's.

I quickly ran towards it, and called out to Nadine. Without hesitating, she rode behind me, and held on to me. I ignited the engine and we started moving.

One thing remained in my head though: Where the hell did Fakir go?

"Hey, do you have any idea where Fakir is?" I asked.

"Who the hell is Fakir?"

"You….you don't know who Fakir is?" I asked awkwardly. She really didn't know him….or at least notice him.

She just looked at me with the weirdest expression ever, saying, "He some rapist or something?"

"No…no…forget it."

"Oh my God! Did he rape me or something!"

My eyes widened. I slowly turned my head and looked at her awkwardly. "I honestly don't know."

Suddenly, Nadine screamed, "RE!"

I quickly turned around to see Kaizel in front of us. We were now entering the forest. He slowly went to the right, hiding behind the many trees.

"He's…gone."

"I'm not so sure about that…"

And sure enough, he emerged beside us, his gun pointed at my head. I stopped the motorcycle as he pulled the trigger. The bullet went off into the distance, missing me entirely. I decided to turn the other way.

Now, we were driving to the south. Kaizel was quickly catching up, professionally maneuvering through the trees, whilst shooting at us. It was getting harder and harder to dodge the bullets. I hastily turned right, heading towards Geffen.

Kaizel was catching up. I had to do something. He aimed his gun at Nadine, she would surely die if it hit her.

I had no choice. I turned the motorcycle sideways, and shot him with the machine gun. It hit several parts of his body; his chest, shoulders, stomach…he was now bleeding heavily. I never had experience with a gun, and so never knew how to keep the gun steady.

He screamed in pain as we drove off towards Geffen: The Arcane City. Hopefully, that would be the last we'd see of Kaizel. But somehow, I doubted it.

We were far from safe. Geffen was miles away, and the gun had just run out of ammo.

A good thing though, we had just exited the forest, and were now entering the region of Geffen. I drove faster. The cool, night breeze was rocking me to sleep, but I had to stay awake. Nadine, though, was leaning on my back, so comfortably.

"Hold on a bit more. We're almost there." I whispered to her.

* * *

Note: Did it seem a bit...rushed? 


	7. Stalker

**Chapter 7 - Stalker**

A strong breeze blew past, blowing Nadine's hair. In front of us was Geffen; the Arcane City. The sun was rising. I hadn't had any sleep at all.

I slowly drove the motorcycle inside Geffen's gates. The street lights had just closed. The sky had turned from a dark shade to a deep, blue tone. A heavy mist patrolled the streets.

I needed to find an inn. I was sleepy, hungry, tired, and would've just slept on the spot had it not been for Nadine riding with me. I drove over to the southern area. There, a small inn lay, its lights still open. I parked the motorcycle nearby and woke up Nadine.

"Where are we?" She asked.

"Geffen." I replied.

I quickly led her to the inn and held the door open for her. I walked over to the counter where I found a sleeping man, who was obviously the owner.

I tapped the counter lightly. The man didn't budge. With my remaining ounce of strength, I decided to bang on it once more, as hard as I could.

He awoke with a startle and quickly stood up, facing me.

"What do you—"

"—a room."

"Do you have—"

I threw him a few zeny, and he pointed to the stairs. I just looked at him menacingly. He didn't even notice and just counted the zeny I gave him.

"What?"

"Aren't you even going to show us to our room?"

"No."

"Greedy old bastard!" I bellowed as I raised the machine gun and pointed it at his head. He, on the other hand, just looked at me, paralyzed with fear. I was definitely not in the mood, and just wanted to finish the job, but Nadine pulled my arm down.

"Re…no. It's not worth it. You're tired. You need rest." She said softly.

I lowered my gun, but kicked the door hardly, breaking it into several pieces. The man just stared at it, mouth wide open.

I didn't have time for him. I needed rest. I quickly ran up the stairs and opened the first door I saw. To my shock, I saw a couple, having the time of their lives.

"For heaven's sake! At least lock the door!" I bellowed, slamming the door shut.

I then opened the next door I saw. It was, at least, vacant, but it was a mess. The bed was in terrible condition, there were clothes everywhere, the cabinet was open…but it would have to do. I ran to the bed and instantly fell asleep.

Later that afternoon, I woke up. I got up from the bed and rubbed my eyes. To my surprise, the room was sparkling clean – literally. As if someone waxed the floor and washed the clothes – whoever they belonged to. Could it be Nadine?

Then the answer walked right into the room.

"Oh, you're awake." A young man with a red shirt and a brown cape said to me. His eyes were intimidating, and he wore a black, pointy hat with a pentagram at the end. A wizard.

"Who the hell are you?" I demanded.

"I'm Gustav. The….one who originally rented this room."

I was so embarrassed. No wonder there were clothes everywhere. It was his. And he had to clean it up for me, a person he hardly knew.

I walked over to him with my hand behind my head, saying, "I-I'm sorry. I didn't know. You see, we came in quite—"

I stopped as I saw Nadine holding on to his arm. Had they been going out while I was asleep?

I quickly grabbed her and walked over to a corner where Gustav wouldn't hear us. "We'll be just a minute!"

"What the hell are you doing with this guy?" I demanded.

"He showed me around Geffen, and he treated me to lunch. Why?"

The veins in my body were about to burst. Was she two-timing me!

"You cannot go out with him!" I hoarsely exclaimed.

"Why?"

"Because…" I was at a loss of words to say. We've only been together two days, and that incident with the crepe, the damn crepe.

"I'll be going….I'll be exploring…yeah, that's it. Exploring. I'll be exploring the place. See you around!" I said, kissing Nadine quickly on the cheek and waving my hand to Gustav.

But what I really wanted to do was see what was up with the two of them. I'd have to stalk them. I quickly ran down the stairs and opened the door, then closed it, creating the illusion I went out already. I then ran under the stairs, and hid there, waiting for them to come down.

Minutes later, I heard footsteps. They were coming down. They slowly walked over to the door holding hands.

I knew it! There was something up with them! I slowly followed them, then glanced to the right, where the man was. He just glared at me, a vein pulsing on his forehead. Beneath the counter, I could see the old, broken door. Apparently, he got a new one.

After they closed the door, I looked outside the window, waiting for them to get a good distance away from the place.

"They're walking horribly slow" I whispered to myself as I motioned towards the door and twisted the knob. Once again, the man glared at me.

"What the fuck is your problem, old man?" I bellowed. The two looked back, and I closed the door immediately, afraid they might see me. Then, after a few seconds, opened it again. They were getting too far away, and I had to catch up.

I eyed "my" bike and thought if I should bring it. I knew I shouldn't, because obviously, they'd hear me.

I looked back at them. They disappeared! Oh My God! Where'd they go? Now I knew I had no choice. Geffen was a large city, too large a city to cover in an afternoon. I mounted my bike and started driving.

The first place I thought of going to was the famous Arcane tower, obviously in the center. I stared at the gargantuan tower. Orbs were revolving around it.

But who cares? They weren't anywhere around here!

Then I remembered my gun. Out of ammo. A useless thing….unless I want to bonk people to death. Which I don't.

I went over to the weapon shop, on the other side of the city. People were now flocking the streets, rendering my bike almost impossible, if not impossible to maneuver. I would've loved to just run them over…but I'd make too much commotion.

I dismounted my bike and walked alongside it. The weapon shop was already in sight.

I took a few steps, and almost tripped. In front of me were stairs. Insanely long stairs, going down. I looked for the weapon shop. It was on the other side.

My mouth opened wide. I was beginning to hate Geffen. Too huge. "Huge" Would even be an understatement. Try gargantuan.

I had it. I wasn't going to walk over there on foot. I took out my bone wand and pointed it at the air. Black wings sprouted from my back, and I began flying. Strangely though, the people didn't seem to mind.

Well, this was after all, the arcane city!

Why the hell hadn't I thought of that before then?

I landed by the weapon shop as my wings retracted. Strange though. That spell was suppose to conjure angel wings; not demon wings. I must've made a mistake with the incantation. Nevertheless, it got me here, so…who cares?

I walked up to the door and opened it. Inside were a lot of people looking at a variety of weapons.

I walked over to the "guns" section, where a variety of guns ranging from handguns to rifles were. I must be the only priest in this section. I was.

Heck, I was the only person there. Come to think of it, I haven't seen anyone else carrying guns, save for Kaizel.

I picked a shotgun identical to Kaizel's. I really didn't know much about guns. I bent down and looked at the different ammo. They weren't at all like those metal ones I've seen in movies. They were more like gems. Triangular colored gems with some glowy things inside. I took some red, blue, purple and green. Not knowing what each one does, but at least I'll have something to shoot.

I walked over to the cashier and lay down my items. She looked at me in a strange way.

"What?" I asked. It must've been the fact that a priest like me was buying a gun.

"Fourteen million zeny."

"WHAT?" I bellowed.

She gulped so hard I could hear it as she repeated, "Fourteen million zeny."

"Fourteen million zeny?" I repeated, everyone in the store now looking at me.

I felt around my body for some money. Nothing. In my shirt, my pocket. Nothing. Even my socks. Then, I noticed something card-like in my pocket. I took it out.

Strange. I didn't remember the Sanctuary giving me a credit card. I didn't even know they had their own credit card!

I lay it down on the counter and pushed it to her.

"The Sanctuary?" She questioned, apparently, none of the priests have ever used this. The card wasn't known.

"The Sanctuary." I repeated. That's what it said on the card.

"The Sanc—"

"THE SANCTUARY, DAMN IT!" I bellowed. Everyone looked at us again.

She swiped it, and I took my stuff. Before I left, I could've sword I heard her muttering stuff about me.

I pushed the door open, the bells on the ceiling jingled as I did. And once again, I was in the sea of people.

Then I saw them. By the…toy store? What the heck. Probably, Nadine wanted some stuffed toy Gustav was stupid enough to buy for her. I ran towards them, not caring if I bumped anyone.

Again, they were holding hands and were now moving on. I locked my eyes on them. I would follow them no matter where they went!


	8. Faint

**Chapter 8 - Faint**

_Where the hell were they going? I've been following them for what seemed like days, and they just pranced around the Arcane tower. What a strange thing to do._

_Then, at long last, they entered a small restaurant by the outskirts of Geffen, away from the bustling crowd. Slowly, Gustav reached out for the knob and turned it, then held out the door for her. She slowly walked in and he followed. They closed the door, and the chimes just above it gave a soft "ding"._

_I soon followed afterwards. What I found inside, though, was totally unexpected._

"_Welcome to Poring Palace!" One of the attendants greeted me, presenting me with a hat in the shape of the all-time children's favorite, Poring, in a hideously pink color._

"_Where the fuck am I?" I bellowed._

_Everyone in the room stopped and stared at me. The attendant's eyes widened and glared at me. She then pulled me to a secluded corner in the room, apparently, this wasn't the kind of place to say things like that._

"_Look here, mister!" She began, "I've been working my butt of, working as hard as I can for two years. TWO YEARS! I've stayed loyal to the Poring Palace code, and I'm not about to be fired, just cuz some fat-ass gangster gets lost and wanders into this place!"_

_I looked at her sternly, but couldn't resist it. I burst out in laughter, and was actually shedding tears…tears of joy. "You said ass!" I exclaimed._

_She screamed a comical scream, while grabbing her hair, wanting to pull it off. The kids stared at her and began laughing, as I did. She quickly grabbed my arm and pulled me out the door. Then I saw the "supposed" Nadine. Well, I've figured it out the moment I stepped foot into this place; that obviously wasn't Nadine, and he wasn't Gustav. The two strangers had a relationship, yes: Father and daughter._

_The attendant slammed the door. Strangely, she kicked out one of the poring hats along with me. I quickly tucked it into my pocket. Nadine might want it. Of course, if she wanted ME._

_I still couldn't believe I followed the wrong people! But it was a blessing I didn't walk up to them and say, "Aha! What're you up to?"_

_I imagined the scene vividly in my head._

"_Aha! I finally caught—"_

_Then, they'd turn around and I'd see a young, six-year old girl with her middle-aged father, with widened eyes._

"_Err…." The father would begin, "I'm just….going out with my daughter."_

"_You're…daughter?" _

"_Yeah!" The daughter'd say, "What did you think I was?"_

_Then I'd walk away, embarrassed, while they'd whisper to each other, "What a weirdo!"_

_Good thing that never happened._

_Then, I remembered something awfully disturbing; I had left my bike in the middle of a crowd!_

_I sprinted back into town, where all the commotion was. I continued sprinting towards where I last left my bike. It wasn't there._

"_Oh shit!" I bellowed, as I searched frantically for it. I looked behind one of the stands, behind one of the posts, I even asked one of the kafra employees and a Geffen guard. Nothing._

_Hopeless. But something new came up and I had to move on. Nadine just bumped me, and quickly replied with a emotionless "sorry". She didn't even notice me, as she was running towards her Gustav._

_I quickly ran towards them. This time there were no flaws. This time, they were the people I was actually stalking. And this time, I'd catch them._

_They didn't stop for anything in the city. Instead, they head towards the outskirts, where a clear, blue river lay. The dark of night had once again shadowed Midgard, and the street lights instantly lit up._

_They sat down by the riverbanks as Gustav stroked her deep, black hair. My veins were about to blow as I wanted to smack him in the head. But, no. I can't do that. Not yet at least. Now was not the time for violence, now was the time for observation._

_To my left, something caught my attention. A roda frog had just leapt from a large bush. What a perfect hiding place._

_Imitating the frog, I went in and hid myself from view. I was able to completely conceal myself, from head to toe, and still get a good view of the two._

_I peaked through the leaves at the two people in front of me. They were there, smooching, under the light of the full moon. Disgusting._

_I couldn't take it. I had to take things under my control. I took out my shotgun, and removed the magazine. I then took some of the red bullets I bought and loaded it, then placed it back into the shotgun. _

_As if an assassin, I aimed the gun at Gustav. I was terribly inexperienced at these kinds of things, but it had to be done. For my sanity._

_Just then, a knife passed my shoulder, cutting it somewhat. The surprise triggered me to shoot, off-target. The bullet rode beyond Gustav and exploded with fury. These weren't ordinary bullets I had in my hand! These were enchanted bullets! I mean, how could I have not noticed it? Colored bullets, bought in the city of magic, it all fits!_

…_and just think what might've happened if I did shoot it at Gustav. Nadine would be dead along with him._

_Gustav and Nadine quickly darted at me, seeing the explosion. They just looked at the bush, with a blank look on their face._

_But I had other matters on my head. For instance; where that knife came from. I looked above and saw Kaizel atop one of the walls surrounding Geffen. His silver hair swayed in the wind as I saw several scars on his face, along with his shoulders, and one deep wound in his chest. Yet somehow, he managed to keep his pride as he stared at me devilishly._

_Soon, he descended down in a zigzag pattern, like Fakir before him. As he neared, I saw him draw his knife, prepared to slash me. I was placed in the same situation I was yesterday._

_I stretched out my palm, and concentrated, chanting, "In nomine Patris, et Fili, et Spiritu Sancti" I said, as my palm began to glow a bright, white color, "Kyrie Eleison!"_

_A large, green cross appeared before me, with several other smaller ones surrounding me, like a barrier. The knife hit it and bounced off, hitting the wall._

_Meanwhile, Kaizel was only halfway down. He was flying._

…_but…he had no wings. As if some divine assistance was on his side. Impossible! Only yesterday, God was against him!_

_He just chuckled maniacally and glared at me. He then drew his shotgun, cocked it, and aimed at me._

_I took out mine, and, like him, cocked it, then aimed it at him._

"_Impressive." He devilishly said, "But money can't buy skill!" He exclaimed, as he shot._

"_RE!" Both Nadine AND Gustav exclaimed. Strange, I forgot all about them. "Do something!" Nadine barked at Gustav._

_How could she? Didn't she trust my skills?_

_Seeing the personality of the bullet, I fired randomly around the path of Kaizel's bullet. And, as I had planned, they exploded, lowering the velocity of his bullet so much, that it dropped to the ground._

_Without even thinking, I aimed the gun at Kaizel and fired thirteen straight shots. When the first one hit, a pair of silver, torn wings appeared, then disappeared. A cloud of smoke engulfed him, covering him from my sight._

_Minutes passed, and all of us just stared at it. Thinking Kaizel was no more, I turned to Nadine. To my demise._

"_Watch out!" She bellowed._

_From within the cloud of smoke, Kaizel shot several times at me, using his machine gun. Thankfully, most missed me, and the ones that didn't were blocked by my barrier._

_But gunning me down was obviously not his tactic. He caught me off-balance. I fell into his trap. He crept up behind me, took a bottle of purple poison and forcibly made me drink it._

_Nadine watched in terror as I struggled to break free, with my senses slowly fading, and having more and more difficulty breathing._

_My sight became blurry, and the last thing I saw was Nadine standing in front of me, her hands placed together as if praying, and Gustav, who drew out his wand, and pointed it at Kaizel._

…_then I felt a freezing cold storm. Unlike any I ever felt._

_A/N: Hey, d'you guys think my writing's getting a bit too……rushed?_


	9. Tourniquet

**Chapter 9 - Tourniquet**

_I slowly opened my eyes, only to find a blinding white light._

_Oh fuck, I'm dead?_

_Think again. I opened my eyes once more. A hospital. A strangely white hospital._

_I was in a bed. A mirror hung on the wall beside me. I looked at myself. Scarred, bruised and bleeding. What the hell happened?_

_Then, I noticed a sour taste inside my mouth, as if it was being rejected by my body. It tasted awful. I looked to my right. There was a tray with various medicines._

_Antidotes._

_Was I poisoned? Then, it slowly came back to me: Kaizel had poisoned me, and I remembered, before fainting, that both Nadine and Gustav cast a spell, although what, I had no idea._

_Then, to my horror, I saw my arm. Near my shoulders, my arm was opened up a bit, I could see my own bone! Even more gruesome, a needle was inserted into one of my veins…one of my….purple…veins. Was it extracting poison?_

_A small bandage was tied tightly above the opening. Tourniquet. It stopped the blood—which carried the poison—to flow throughout the body._

_Unknowingly, I had woken up Nadine, who sat in one of the corners. It was only then that I noticed Gustav was in the room as well._

"_You're awake!" She joyfully said._

"_How long have I been asleep?" I said, trying to motion towards her. A surging pain traveled throughout my body, and I immediately lay down once more._

"_Don't move…" She said, standing up and motioning towards me, "You're hurt…badly. I tried to heal you myself, but…the poison."_

"_It's alright. I'm okay." I lied. I then eyed Gustav. He slept beside where Nadine was, at one of the corners of the room. From the looks of it, he looked exhausted. I've never seen anyone look more tired than him right now. "What happened to him?"_

"_Well, while Kaizel forced you to drink the poison," She began._

_  
It took me quite a while to comprehend before nodding in agreement. "I tried to heal you. When that didn't work, I tried slowing down the poison's effect."_

"_What does Gustav have to do with that?"_

"_Wait, I'm not yet done!" She said, with a tone of anger, "Anyway, I tried to save you, in whatever way I could, from the poison, while he took care of Kaizel. He cast a snowstorm spell; Storm Gust."_

"_It shouldn't tire him up that much!"_

"_Well, in his fury, he conjured an enormously powerful storm. Here, I'll show you." She motioned towards the window and pulled back the curtains, showing Geffen. Snowing as hard as ever._

"_Wait, why was he mad, again?" I asked._

"_Gustav…he…" She began. I expected her to say something disgustingly good about him, instead, I was shocked when I heard what she said, "He idolizes you. For your skill. Your determination. He wasn't about to let someone take away his source of inspiration."_

_I felt the guilt swallow me. All this time I thought he saw me as a rival, and took Nadine for his own, but apparently, I mistook him. That is, if she was telling the truth._

_Our conversation had seemingly woken up Gustav. He slowly stood up and dusted his clothes. He then motioned to me, saying, "Ho…you're awake." With a big smile on his face._

"_By the way…" He began, "Your…gun…is over there." He pointed to a small table where my shot gun and the various bullets lay. _

"_How's your arm?" He asked._

"_Fine. Why?" I asked, with a tone of suspicion._

"_Nothing." He said, looking away from me, "Hey, let's go get him some dinner." He suggested to Nadine._

"_Oh su—"_

"_Wait. Dinner? Did I hear you right?"_

"_Yes. Dinner. Unless you want breakfast at 7:00pm."_

"_Exactly how long have I been unconscious!" I demanded._

"_Three days." Nadine told me._

_THREE DAYS?_

_I bade them goodbye as they stepped out the door. A nurse then entered to check up on me. I pretended to be asleep._

_I heard her pick up one of the bottles and touch the opening they made on my arm. It stung. I peaked, curious of what she was doing. She took some of the antidote and put a few drops of it on the opening. Now, my veins had returned to their normal, red color. At least, that's what the books said its color was._

_She removed the needle and grabbed some bandages from the cupboard. She then wrapped the bandage around the small opening, and tied it tightly. The bandage was a dark, gray color, and looked hideously old. Then the nurse left the room._

_  
I never noticed it before, but my clothes had changed. Then a strange thought came over me: Did Nadine dress me up? _

_Regardless, I had a pagan theme on myself. Strange for a priest if you ask me. I wore a deep, black, sleeveless shirt with an ambigram of the word, "priest", in a purple color. Behind the ambigram, a pentacle surrounded the word. My pants were of a deep blue shade, and at the foot of my bed, I saw a pair of black, stylish, leather shoes._

_I slowly got out of bed. The opening stung a bit, but it was tolerable. I wore the leather shoes whoever had set out for me and slowly stood up. No pain. Praise the Lord!_

_I walked over to the small table and retrieved my weapon. I strapped the shotgun diagonally across my chest, and placed all the bullets inside separate magazines, for easier reloading. I looked inside the cabinet of the hospital room. There, a white trench coat with black linings lay. I took it and donned it on myself. It concealed my gun perfectly. I then put on the hood, covering my face._

_Slowly, I reached for the door and turned the knob. Then, I realized something. I couldn't leave until the doctor allowed me to. What's worse was I had to pay a fortune. Although I had a credit card, the process would take days—even weeks!_

_I opened the door and hid behind it. A nurse walked in stupidly. Slowly, I crept out and closed the door, locking him in. No one noticed me, as this wasn't how I looked when I went in. _

_And, thankfully, most of the people here wore trench coats similar to mine, though not exactly like a doctor's coat. But who would notice?_

_I had had other things on my mind. I had to continue what I was doing; See what those two were up to._

_Slowly, I pushed the doors of the hospital and head outside._


	10. Jealous

**Chapter 10 – Jealous of the one whose arms are around you…**

_A strong gust of wind blew past, with large flakes of snow following it. A strong snowstorm had swallowed Geffen. The sky was dark, and even with all the lights open, and a few orbs of light floating around, it was still too dark to see. I snapped my fingers as I used to. A blue light began to circle me. _

_Then, I began to think: Where was the most likely place they would go?_

_I really had no idea, because the guy decided where they would eat, in this case, Gustav, who I knew nothing of._

_I slowly went against the current, my coat fluttering wildly behind me. I struggled to keep my hood on, to keep whatever essence of warmth I had left. I was going in the exact opposite way the wind was blowing. Why? I had no idea._

_Then, a sense of accomplishment came upon me. In front was a small building. A restaurant to be exact. And by one of the windows were the two: Gustav and Nadine._

_I hastened my walking, and kept my hood tight, making sure its shadow covered my eyes._

_Slowly, I came closer and closer to the door. Closer. Just a little bit more._

_I reached out for the knob with one hand, the other held to my hood, careful not to let my identity slip. I slowly turned the knob and walked in._

_It was warm inside. I dusted the snow from my coat as a waitress attended to me._

"_Table for how many?"_

"_One."_

"_This way, sir." And she led me to a small, one-person table near a window. It was only how many tables away from Nadine and Gustav's, and I could see them perfectly._

"_May I take your co—"_

"_No." I hastily said, "I mean, it's chilly. No, thank you."_

Still in shock at how quickly I responded, it took her a while to hand me the menu. 

"_No, I'll just have some coffee…" I slowly said, shoving the menu away._

_She just stared into nothingness. Strange._

"_If you…. I slowly said, emphasizing the word "have", as I snapped my fingers._

_  
She snapped back to reality, saying, "I'll be right on it!" Putting a smile on her face._

_Strange waitress, if you ask me._

_Now, I had to get back to my agenda. I suspiciously eyed the two. It was as if Nadine sensed me. She turned around. I just kept looking, confident my identity was cloaked. _

_Apparently, she couldn't stand my glare, and turned back to Gustav. She mumbled something to him I couldn't hear, but that was her plan. I tried hard to hear, without looking suspicious, but I couldn't hear anything._

_The waitress came back with a cup of hot coffee. She set it down on the table in front of me, and I bade her thank you._

_I took the small spoon and began stirring the coffee. Then I once again eyed them._

_This time, Gustav looked at me, with a look of suspicion on his face. For some reason, I couldn't help but think he was staring at my arm. I looked at it. It was bleeding. A lot. It penetrated my coat and made a deep, red mark on the coat, where the opening was. Did he know?_

_Like Nadine before him, he mumbled something to him. Then, he stood up and head outside. Where the hell was he going?_

_I stopped stirring and placed the small spoon on the plate. I then took the cup and sipped the coffee._

_Then I spat it out, embarrassingly._

_I FORGOT TO PUT SUGAR! DAMN!_

_As I was choking, I sensed Nadine look at me. I quickly pulled my hood lower, grabbed the blunt knife, and hid it in my cloak. I knew what I had to do. I hastily stood up and head outside, still coughing._

_The guilt inside was terrible. It was devouring me. But I had to do it. I had to. Nadine….Nadine…she was my muse. My source of inspiration. My one and only._

_I once again stepped into the cold storm. My cloak once again fluttered behind me. I slowly closed the door._

_Funny though, I thought I heard the voice of the waitress saying, "Wait you haven't pay—" before I closed the door. Must be my imagination._

_In front stood Gustav, staring blankly into my eyes. He knew I would follow him, and used this information to his advantage. Smart._

"_What do you want?" He asked. By the window, I saw Nadine watching intently at what was about to happen._

"_Why? Why do you do this?" I asked, slowly inching forward._

"_What?"_

_Slowly, I took the knife and dashed towards him, stabbing him in the chest. He choked out some blood, and began to kneel on the cold snow. _

"_You took her from me. So shall I take your life from you." I whispered in his ear. Back at the restaurant, Nadine was leaning against the glass window, staring in shock._

_I stared back through my newfound murderous eyes. She, on the other hand, stood up and walked outside. Her clothes began to flutter wildly, as did my coat, as we stared into each other's eyes._

_Though this feeling wasn't the same as when we first met. Her eyes were full of anger, yet clouded with sorrow._

"_Why did you do this?" She asked, crying, "What did he ever do to you?"_

_Slowly, she walked up to me and pulled down my hood. "Re."_

_This shame was unfathomable. I couldn't stand it. I turned away from her and ran towards the gates of Geffen._

_A bright light met me. I squinted, shielding my eyes from it. Later, I realized what it was: A hoverbike used by the guards of Geffen, hovering meters away from the ground, allowing passage through any terrain._

_In the distance, I heard sirens. Both the guards and ambulance sirens. Apparently, they had found out my grave sin. Without hesitating, I struck again._

_Drawing my shotgun, I pointed it at the driver of the hoberbike, and pulled the trigger. He instantly fell off, yet the hoverbike was still headed towards me. I grabbed the handle and mounted it, then turned around, headed towards the exit._

_A few minutes of driving, and I reached a big river, with a large bridge laid out to cross it. The guards were hot on my back. The snow was disappearing, and I soon found out why._

_I turned around a split second. A dark cloud loomed above Geffen, with snow falling down from it. I once again drew my shotgun and aimed it at the guards, then pulled the trigger. Their apparent leader waved his hand, blocking the bullets._

_Magic nullifies magic. These bullets I bought were enchanted with magic! How could I miss the colors?_

_One thing was for sure, though: I had committed yet another one of the seven deadly sins, as well as go against the fifth commandment: Thou shall not kill._


	11. The Other Side

**A/N: **Here's the revised version of chapter 11, and hopefully, the better version!

Skye Mihalak: No, it's not going to be against Christianity. I was actually inspired by my CL class on this one. About how God sent even the most sinful people to preach his word. Like Samson, the judge, who was a playboy, yet preached the word of God...I...think.. XD (see the Book of Judges). Would you believe this story spawned from an essay written in class? LOL ( I didn't think that was possible too XD)

Meh, enough blabbering...here, enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 11 – The Other Side**

_Up ahead, Mt. Mjolnir loomed in the distance. Behind me, the Geffen guards were quickly catching up. I had to do something. Fast._

_By now, I was halfway through the bridge. The guards were at my side and I just kept going helplessly, as the hoverbike wouldn't go any faster._

_One of them moved closer to me. With a sharp sword in hand, he began to slash at me. He made a light cut on my left shoulder, as I screamed in pain. Taking my shotgun, I pointed it at his head. He, on the other hand, shuddered in fear. _

_Without hesitation, I pulled the trigger. His head split in two, as blood gushed out. His hoverbike lost control and began spinning dangerously, hitting one of the other guards in the process._

_On my right, I heard chanting. I darted towards the guard. His hands were moving about, as if performing a ritual on a hoverbike. Blue spheres began emanating from beneath his hoverbike._

_Obviously, he was very skilled. His hoverbike didn't steer off course, yet he was still able to cast properly. _

_The faster I took him out, the better it was for me. I took my shotgun once more, aimed it at him and quickly pulled the trigger. As if he knew exactly what I was going to do, he abruptly turned his hoverbike sideways and put down his foot, stopping it. My shot completely missed._

_Meanwhile, in front, a shady figure emerged from the ground. It hovered in mid-air a while before taking shape._

_Two long, slender dragon-like legs appeared, bent the other way where human knees were. Then its body materialized. Then a tail, and its arms, with claws at the end. Then finally, its vicious head, with four horns. It had no eyes, a pair of horns took its place where the eyes were usually found. Its head had a dragon-like shape. _

_It charged at me. I abruptly turned my hoverbike sideways, like the guard who apparently summoned this monstrosity, and without thinking, gunned it down._

_Or at least, that's what I planned to do._

_I took out my shotgun and aimed, then fired ten simultaneous shots. Almost instantly, it grew two pairs of stone-like wings, the second pair somewhat smaller in size compared to the first, and positioned below the first. It darted upward with amazing speed. _

_My bullets, on the other hand, missed, and instead, hit the guards once behind the demon. It hit them at various parts: Some were hit on the head, others on their chest, and some were hit at horribly gruesome places I dare not even try and figure out._

_Meanwhile, the demon started descending once more at a tremendous speed. In front of me, however, was the guard who summoned the demon, eyeing me devilishly as he sat on his hoverbike. _

_Without thinking twice, I decided to ram him. The demon missed me completely, and hit the bridge instead._

_I went full speed at him. He did the same. I looked at his eyes. There was no anxiety or fear present, as if he knew he would go through this alive. How? We were speeding at top-speed against each other, and by now, even if he decided to back out, it was too late. We would still collide._

_Suddenly, he shifted to my right side. It was as if time had stopped as he grabbed his sword and made a deep cut on my left arm. I looked at him. He looked back with a devilish smile, chuckling maniacally._

_Once again, I turned the bike sideways. He did the same._

_Without thinking, I took my shotgun and shot at him, without even seeing if I had aimed correctly. The bullet was going at a high speed, and considering how far we were from each other, it was going to hit him in less than a second._

_Still laughing, he took out a revolver and shot. His bullet collided with mine, and exploded into oblivion. What dexterity!_

_Without warning, the demon landed in front of me, and roared as loud as it could. Now was not the time to anticipate its next move, so I decided to get across the bridge as soon as possible._

_The guard, by now, was the only one left. But it was as hard as hell to get rid of him. With the demon flying above, breathing flames, and this guard was riding alongside me._

"_Having fun yet?" He sarcastically said._

"_Don't you know?" I asked, my last hope, "Guards aren't allowed to kill."_

"_Who said I was a guard?" He said, chuckling some more, "I'm just yet another sorcerer, here for the fun of killing!"_

_Yup. That confirms it. This guy's crazy._

_Almost immediately, he pointed his revolver at me. I immediately stopped the hoverbike, turning it on its side once again. But I did it a little too soon._

_He hadn't fired, and was now aiming at me. The demon, however, was preparing to blast me into oblivion. A blue aura was appearing around its wide-open mouth._

_I couldn't even reminisce on my life before I died. The sorcerer shot at me, as did the demon. _

_My last moment. But I wasn't about to die alone. I took my wand, the wand I hadn't used in quite a while, and pointed it at the demon. A pillar of bright light erupted from the ground. The demon screamed in pain, as I heard the boiling of its skin._

_The sorcerer, however, stared in shock and fired once more. From the pillar of light, an angel in a white gown and bloody red hair emerged. She caught the bullets and sped towards him. He hopelessly shot at her, doing no damage at all. His eyes were now full of fear._

_Thinking there was no hope left, he turned his hoverbike around and sped off. Though I knew the angel would soon catch up with him, I had to see what would become of him, after all he did to me._

_I revved the engine of my stolen hoverbike and sped after them, my hair and cloak fluttering wildly behind me. _

_While speeding across the bridge, I pulled down my cloak, revealing my bloody arm. The wound he gave me was deep indeed. It even penetrated my cloak, giving it a faded red color. I touched it. It stung._

_Then a pair of pale white hands touched it, and healed it. A feeling of rejuvenation came upon me as the wound instantly healed. I looked up and saw the angel, with her flowing red hair trailing behind her. I quickly took control of the hoverbike, it was steering off-course. A few minutes later, I had finally arrived at the other side of the bridge._

_One thing bothered me though: If the angel was here, then what happened to the sorcerer?_


	12. Hopeless

**Chapter 12 - Hopeless**

_It was hopeless. I searched everywhere, but the sorcerer was nowhere to be found. I looked around Mt. Mjolnir late into the night. It was already dawn, and I needed some rest._

_Going as slow as ever, I wanted to just sleep on the spot. But I knew I couldn't. Countless times, monsters attacked me, and I had to fend them off._

_I was dosing off, and almost fell off the bike, had it not been for a large, red centipede. An argiope, it seemed, was feeding on my body oils._

"_Gaaah!" I screamed. Quickly, I took my shotgun and fired at it. The bullet pinned it to a nearby tree, with its purple blood oozing out where the bullet hit it._

_Needless to say, I had to find an inn. Fast. But….where? I was in the middle of Mt. Mjolnir, which had several mountains. Not just any mountains. Large mountains. The nearest city, Al de Baran, was miles away. _

_And if that weren't enough, the air was damp, the place smelled horrid, bugs were everywhere, and I was dosing off. Great. What more could I ask?_

_Aimlessly, I wandered about the mountain, going in circles, even. The lack of sleep was getting to me. _

_Suddenly, I stopped the hoverbike abruptly. A few rocks fell down the cliff in front of me._

_I never realized how high up I was. Mt. Mjolnir was so high up, that Geffen, which was right below it, was a mere speck in a patch of green._

_Wait, Geffen's on the other side of this mountain! I looked into the distance. There was another mountain. Part of the Mjolnir Mountains. This was a valley. A valley, which apparently, no one had discovered. Probably due to the fact that hardly anyone dared cross the Mjolnir Mountains._

_With a sudden urge of adrenaline, I desperately looked for a path that led to the valley. I looked left. Nothing. Right. Still nothing. I was desperate. _

_Without thinking, I drove the hoverbike off the cliff. How stupid._

_Now, I had bigger problems: How to survive the fall. Thankfully, I would be falling so long that I'd have enough time to think of a way._

_Hopefully._

_I took out my rosary and wrapped it around my hands, and began praying, "God the Father Almighty, save this servant of yours. God the Father Almighty, save this servant of yours." I began chanting._

_It wasn't working. All was lost as I quickly descended. Suddenly, a pair of wings grew on my back. Hope rushed into my soul as I tried as hard as I could to flap them as fast as they could. Taking my wand, I guided my hoverbike down gently, then I soon stepped down as well._

_A blessing from God._

…_or not._

_A man in black robes stepped up to me, saying, "What do you want from us that you dare death?"_

"_I seek refuge." I said, bowing down, "I need sleep."_

"_We shall talk tomorrow. Bring him to the inn!" He bellowed. Afterwards, he walked over to my hoverbike and examined it, "Bring with him this…this…contraption as well…"_


	13. Embodiment

**Chapter 13 - Embodiment**

Later that day, I was awakened by the rumbling of the earth. Sleepily, I removed my blanket and stepped out of bed. Something was missing.

On the wall hung my white trenchcoat. Well, at least they took it off for me. It was quite hot in the place. Then, as I turned around, I saw my pants and shirt hung on the wall. With my eyes widening, I turned it the other way. There, I saw my underwear on the wall.

It came to me: I was naked!

Suddenly, the knob on the door began to turn. I took all the knives on the bed table and hurled them at the door, pinning it.

Where the hell was I?

Hastily, I took my clothes and dawned them on me. I took the coat on the wall, but didn't wear it. It was hot, anyway. I decided to just leave it in the compartment I recently discovered in the hoverbike.

I walked to the door and kicked it open. The knives fell to the floor, each landing with a loud, hollow sound. In front of me stood a man with a white piece of cloth bearing ornate designs. He wore nothing on his torso, save for a few necklaces. His body was very buff, bearing a tattoo of David's Star. What was this place? Some kind of pagan tribe?

"Erm…right, you're awake." The man said, still in shock. He was apparently looking at the several knives on the floor.

"Yes. I know that." I replied, "And who are you suppose to be?"

"I am Kuramarael. The high priest instructed me to go and fetch you as soon as you were up. He wants to talk to you."

Then, I remembered what he said the day before, "We'll talk later."

"Yes, of course." I said, as I walked down the stairs, "Oh and next time, please knock."

He put his hand behind his back and put on a very goofy expression as he quickly followed down, leading the way.

As we head for the door, Kuramarael waved at the innkeeper. I just smiled a fake smile when he looked at me. Outside, I was greeted by a blast of bright sunlight.

"By the way," He began, "I hope you weren't disturbed when you found your clothes on the wall. It is our custom."

"Right…"

I looked at the place around me. It was beautiful. Lush, green fields, a clear blue sky. Lots of trees here and there. The houses looked like they had a medieval style. As well as all of the other buildings. The place looked as if the people were living in the middle ages: with kings, knights, castles and whatnots.

Except the castle. There wasn't any.

I turned around to look at the sign.

"The Prayer and the Sword." I read out loud.

Kuramarael turned around and noticed I was still carrying my trenchcoat, saying, "D'you wanna, like, leave that somewhere? It's kinda hard to bring it around everywhere. Especially now in this hot weather."

"Wait, this hot weather…how do you stand it?"

"Umm…hi? It's summer?"

I didn't notice that. Lost track of the date, I guess. And it wasn't noticeable back at Prontera. It was never this hot!

"Uhh…yes. Of course. I knew that." I said, trying desperately to cover up my stupidity. "I'll go put this….somewhere."

I ran to the back of the inn, hoping my hoverbike was there. Thankfully, it was there. I lifted the seat and placed my coat in. Then, I closed the seat and started walking back to Kuramarael.

The town seemed to have nice people. I saw kids playing in their backyards, women happily doing their chores, and the men just hanging out. Then, I found out the cause of the rumblings: Two children were fighting each other….with magic? They must be really good…I never learnt any magic 'til I was fourteen.

A while later, I caught up with Kuramarael. He heaved a sigh, saying, "Can we go now? All set?"

"Yeah, yeah." I replied.

He lead me to a small cottage in the center of the village. Obviously, it was the high priest's place. It was very ornate outside, and was the only house, as far as I could see, that had two floors.

He opened the door and held it out for me. I went in, and he soon followed afterwards, closing the door behind him.

I stared in awe at the house I just entered. It was actually quite bright in here. Windows on each side. Large windows. There was a fireplace at the end of the house, burning fire wood. A wooden spiral staircase led to the second floor, but I dare not investigate further; I'd bet all my money that it had private…things.

Near one of the windows was a small table. A coffee table, perhaps. I looked up at the ceiling. There lay an ornate, chandelier made out of natural crystals.

"Have a seat." He asked, offering me one.

I graciously took it and replied with an equally gracious "Thank you."

"Kura, how bout you?" He asked.

"Kura?" I asked.

"Yes. Kura. Kuramarael. The guy who brought you here."

"Oh! KURA! Yes, of course."

I turned around, just to find him staring at me in an awkward manner. A while later he looked at the high priest and said, "No, father."

"Let me introduce myself. I am Father Rubalkabara."

"F-Father Rubalkabara? I haven't seen you in ages! When was the last time you've been to the Sanctuary?" I said, standing up in shock, "No, wait, I've never seen you…"

"Yes, but I know you, Re. Yosuke told me everything about you."

"So what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Why are you here?" He stiffly asked, "You know very well you shouldn't be here."

"Why?"

"Re, if you haven't noticed, this is a pagan tribe! If they found out you were a Christian priest, they'd slaughter you!"

"Then why are you still alive?" I bellowed, standing up, "Why did you denounce your faith to the Lord? Why did you turn away and pledge your loyalty to some pagan deity? Why?" I continued, taking a thick book, containing ancient pagan rituals, "WHY?"

He just stared at me in shame as I breathed in heavily. "You're disgusting! How can you even call yourself a priest? You corrupt—"

"Enough!" He bellowed. "You have sins yourself. "Don't clean others when you haven't yourself!""

"Get to the point!" I was getting irritated at him. Much like the irritation I once felt for Mother Mathilda.

"Your sins….you've committedsome of the seven capital sins, haven't you?" He said.

"Yeah, so?"

He was getting just as annoyed as I was at him. Perfect. "Your sins, Re Suqhawe, are taking a physical form!"

"MY sins? I'm not the only one who commits these sins!"

"But you are the embodiment of the sins! You define "the seven deadly sins"! You take them to a whole new level! Your envy was not just mere envy! Your envy later evolved into murder! What's worse is you don't even repent! Which is why they have taken shape! The angel of lust: Incubus, has just raided our town the days before you arrived! Women have been raped by an unknown being!"

And how do you know this?" I asked.

"God told me, Re Suqhawe. I am the last prophet after several aeons!"

Then I realized the gravity of the situation: What if my gluttony took a physical form? What about my envy? My hatred? "And what am I suppose to do?"

"Cast them out. Exorcise them. Send them back into the abyss." He sternly said.

Just then, we felt another rumbling accompanied by a heat hotter than the one we were currently experiencing.

We ran outside, only to find a group of sorcerers, chanting. And to my surprise, I saw Nadine—and Kaizel on a hoverbike similar to mine. They were being surrounded by other sorcerers wearing clothes similar to Kuramarael's.

I looked up at the sky. A huge meteor was making its way down here. I had to do something.

"Nadine! Get out of there!" I called out to her, ignoring Kaizel completely. Why was he here anyway?

They wouldn't let them, and instead, created a barricade around them. The meteor neared, and they—along with everyone else, would die.

Suddenly, I heard a voice from behind me shout, "Lacuna Meteora!". It was Father Rubalkabara's.

Green walls began to emerge, surrounding the city. I could only pray, as the meteor drew closer, that what he just did would be enough.


	14. Theft

**Chapter 14 – Theft, Reconciliation, and the Angel of Pride**

_Time was running out. The meteor was descending faster and faster. The villagers—including me, Nadine, and Kaizel, just stood in terror. Paralyzed by fear._

_A miracle, it seemed, that the meteor swelled up as it entered the zone Rubalkabara had set up. _

_It was bad, however, for Rubalkabara to have cast that spell. It was white magic. That used by priests. Christian priests. White magic was apparently forbidden here._

_The sorcerers who once glared at Nadine and Kaizel now shifted their gaze to Father Rubalkabara, their staves drawn._

"_What must be done must be done." One of them stiffly said, raising his staff in the air. The others followed. _

_The once blue sky turned a deep gray, and rain started to fall on the land, accompanied by the roaring of thunder. Lightning struck now and then._

_The sorcerers advanced one step. Then another, changing their staves' position with each step, until the point that all their staves were directly below his chin._

"_Looks like I get to die a martyr's death now, eh?" He sarcastically said. I found it stupid to act this cool during his final moments—or rather, suspicious. He was plotting something._

"_Rahavu!" They all bellowed, fire erupting from their staves. _

"—_but I won't die alone!" An echoing voiced exclaimed. Clouds gathered into a spiral above us, and from within, pillars of light erupted, eliminating the villagers on a large scale. _

"_They're agents from the Sanctuary!" One of them bellowed, "Cast them away! Show no mer—" He was cut short as a pillar of light swallowed him._

_I ran towards Nadine and Kaizel, who bore a confused look._

"_What the hell is going on?" Kaizel exclaimed._

"_Why are you here?" I replied._

_Our conversation was going nowhere. Besides, we had other matters on our hand—like staying alive!_

_The once peace-loving innkeeper ran out into the storm, carrying a revolver. Obviously, he wasn't a sorcerer as were the other villagers._

_He aimed it at me. I had no choice. I took out my shotgun and mercilessly killed him._

"_Hey, where'd you get that shotgun?" Kaizel awkwardly said, "AND WHAT DID YOU DO TO MINE?"_

"You still haven't told me why you're here!" I said, not even turning around to face him.

_Hastily, I ran towards the innkeeper's corpse. However, I stopped abruptly as one of the pillars of light erupted in front of me. After it had subsided, I continued running._

_I knelt by his corpse and took the gun. I examined it. Deciding to test it, I aimed it at his dead head and shot at it once more. Perfect. This should come in handy._

_I scavenged his clothes and found several sharp knives. I took two and placed them by my ankle, hiding it with my pants. They could come in handy in the future. Or they wouldn't. But who knows?_

_Overhead, a figure emerged from one of the pillars of light. It began to morph into a woman's body with a white gown, pale white skin, and gushing silver hair. She ascended up into the clouds, and descended as the exact opposite—her gown had turned white, and her once silver hair turned a silky black color. I saw her glaring at me through deep, red eyes._

_A sword formed on her right hand. She clutched it tightly and hurled it at me. Out of my shock, I just stood there, paralyzed by fear._

_From the side, something shot it off course. Or rather, someone. I turned around to see Kaizel clutching his machine gun. _

"_Re! Kaizel! Here!" I heard Nadine's voice cry out. The angel spotted me, and once again, a sword formed on her right hand, but this time, one appeared on her left as well._

"_So…" Kaizel began, as if this were some casual conversation, "What's the plan?"_

_Up ahead, a huge airship loomed in the distance. I could faintly see Nadine at its foot._

_I ran behind the inn and quickly mounted my hoverbike. I drove it to where Kaizel was once. He had apparently ran back to get his hoverbike._

_I didn't wait for him. I drove it towards the airship at top speed, not even noticing the angel was already hurling several swords at me—all of which missed. Behind me, I saw Kaizel driving his hoverbike as fast as he could as well._

_Hastily, we drove our bikes in and closed the door. _

"_Know how to drive this thing?" I asked Kaizel._

"_Vaguely. I'm not experienced."_

"Well, you're the best bet we've got! MOVE!" I exclaimed, pushing him to the cockpit.

_I paused for a while, trying to catch my breath. Then, we heard a loud banging on the door. _

_Awhile later, a sword pierced through. It was the angel._

_I grabbed my wand, but the second I did, the sword was blasted into oblivion. I looked at Nadine, she held her rosary in front of her, coiled around her outstretched arm._

"_What?" She said, in a sort of "popular girl" style._

"_Nothing. Kaizel! Start the engine!"_

_We had to leave. Now. This place was going crazy. A fallen angel was chasing after us, and pillars of light had just blasted the villagers to oblivion. _

_By now, several swords have been pierced through the door. Nadine was trying her best to blast them all, but to no avail._

"_Need some help?"_

"_Yes, that would be appreciated."_

_I sensed a tone of sarcasm in her voice. Copying her, I coiled my rosary around my arm as well, and grabbed her arm. With the other hand, I grabbed her other arm, and seemingly started dancing the waltz._

_Yes. The waltz. Not the classical waltz. The other one. The waltz of death. More popularly known as the dance of death._

_At the same time, we pointed at the swords and blasted most of them. But the angel was persistent. Instantly, the door filled up once more._

_I spun her around, as was the custom, then she rammed me on the wall. Ouch. Deciding to strike back, I grabbed her waist and began to dance. We turned around slowly, on beat even, then I suddenly rammed her to the door, she missed the swords by inches, and I could see the anxiety she felt._

_All on beat._

"_So…how's life been?" I asked as I grabbed her once more. She placed her arms around me. But somehow, I knew only bad would come out of it._

"_It's been—"She paused as she tried crushing my bones. Surprisingly, it was hurting, "—fine"_

_I bent down, with her weight on my arms. Without hesitating, I let go of her. She hit the floor with a loud thud, while biting her lip. "And you?"_

_She stood up grabbed my waist, and we started turning around on beat once more. She then abruptly bent down and took my knives, hurling them at the door._

_She stood back up again and I grabbed her waist once more. Now spinning off beat, I rammed her into various objects including chairs, tables, and our hoverbikes. In her rage, she blasted me—the same blast she used to blast the swords. It was so powerful and full of her rage, that I was being pushed towards the door, where several swords were. Seeing a nearby pole, I grabbed it and spun around it. The blast passed me and instead hit the door. The air pressure acted like a vacuum, sucking us in. Instinctively, I sealed it with the same green wall Rubalkabara had used—somehow I had learnt it…or was it just the adrenaline I was feeling?_

"_What is wrong with you?" Nadine finally exclaimed, walking towards me hastily, every step making a loud thump, "You're a murderer! You're not the Re I know!" And she slapped my face._

"_You've changed into someone else I don't know and love!" She slapped me again, about to burst into tears._

"_Why did you have to kill an innocent person like Gustav?" She slapped me once more, crying._

"_Was it because you were jealous?" She slapped me yet again. "Were you envious?"_

_  
She stopped slapping me and just started sulking on the floor. By now, my face was bloody red. I tried to stop the tears that haven't fallen in aeons, but I couldn't. It just…fell._

_I knelt down beside her, yet looking away, avoiding the shame. I removed her hair from her eyes, caressing her gentle face._

"_I want to love you…because I do, but….I can't." She said, rejecting my hand. "I-I can't…it's gone. The passion we had for each other, flushed down the dra—" I placed my index finger on her lips._

_My sight was blurry. Tears had flooded my eyes. Slowly, I placed my arms around her, looking around if she would accept it. She did. We stood up._

"_I was jealous. Envious. I wanted you to myself." I began confessing, "I couldn't take the competition. Couldn't take the fact that you were choosing someone over me. Couldn't—"_

"Hold on." She said, stopping me from talking, "Whoever said I chose him over you?" 

_More tears gushed down my eyes as she drew closer to me. Moments later, I felt her soft, gentle lips press against mine for a split moment._

"_I-I'm sorry…" I apologized. She began to lean on my shoulder, tears still gushing down, as did mine. "I'm sorry I ever doubted you."_

_Unlike our little dance of death, we spun around, indulging ourselves into a world of our own. A world apart from this one torn by sin._

_Of course, we had totally forgotten about the angel. An angel born out of one of my countless sins. An angel born out of my pride._


	15. Descent

**Chapter 15 - Descent**

_Hastily, I climbed up the roof of the airship, hanging on to the various ropes that held the cargo—and the very ship, together. The angel was circling us. I took my machine gun I recently…borrowed, and aimed it at it. I pulled the trigger. Several bullets started flying off towards it, but as it flew so fast, all missed._

_This wasn't working. _

_Suddenly, a cloud of dark energy began to surround me. I began to lose confidence. How could I defeat such a gargantuan at such a disadvantage? What if I fell off? Would I die?_

_I tried to cast away the dark energy, but instead, I fell off the roof. A nauseous feeling began to surge throughout my body. How could I die so vainly? _

_Suddenly, a soft, smooth hand grabbed mine from above. God's hand?_

_No. Nadine's. She caught me, and was struggling not to let me go. As our eyes met each other, I found a smile forming on my once tear-flooded face. Gripping tightly, I pulled hard on it with such force, that I rocketed up. As soon as I reached the roof, I grabbed one of the ropes._

_Guns wouldn't work on it. Maybe magic would?_

_I looked around. There was no sign of it. Slowly, I felt behind my back for my wand. I slowly took it and searched around for it once more._

_Without warning, it shot at me from one of the clouds. I fell off balance and hit the roof hard, biting my chin in the process._

"_OUCH!" I screamed in pain. I quickly grabbed one of the ropes; letting go of my wand in the process. Without thinking, I let my left hand go of the rope and grabbed the wand instead._

_Slowly, I stood up, making sure I wouldn't fall of every inch. I darted behind me, where I knew the angel was. It glared at me through its bloody eyes and held out its palm. A purple sphere began to form. Growing._

"_Ego exorcismus in nomine Patris," I began chanting. Whoever finished first would be the victor in this round. The sphere grew larger than its hand, swallowing it up. "Et Fili,"_

_By now, it raised its hand high into the air, where the sphere detached. It grew to an enormous size and began sucking in everything like a vacuum. In a matter of seconds, all the clouds in the vicinity were swallowed up by it._

"_Et Spiritus Sanc—" I was cut short by a figure that had just made a hole through the angel using his fist. The figure landed on the roof of the airship, fist-first. _

_The sphere began to suck everything in—including itself and the angel, until it totally disappeared. The figure in front of me slowly stood up and glared at me._

"_It's been a while, Re." An arrogant voice said._

_Fakir._

"_What do you want?" I exclaimed, hastily taking my shotgun and firing at him. He, on the other hand, caught the bullet between his index and middle fingers._

"_How primitive." He began, throwing the bullet away._

_As if that weren't enough, I heard a loud roaring from the distance. A vaguely familiar roar._

_A demon came out. The demon with stone wings. The demon that sorcerer summoned._

_It was traveling at extremely fast speeds—faster even, than the airship. On the demon's head, I saw a human figure. Not surprising, it was the sorcerer. He raised his arm into the air. Clouds began to spiral around the area. Dark clouds, accompanied by lightning and thunder._

_A moment later, rain began to fall. Perfect. _

_The sorcerer raised his gun, that oh so familiar gun, and shot. Quickly, I took a backslide, landing on my back, just inches away from the edge._

"_KRUSIMA!" The sorcerer bellowed. The demon had a name? "Faster!"_

_Krusima accelerated, flapping its wings with such vigor. Meanwhile, I had forgotten all about Fakir. He grabbed my shirt and lifted me through it._

"_Why are you still alive?" He questioned._

"…_and why are you, you bastard?" _

_He stayed calm, yet I could see the irritancy in his eyes. A blast erupted from his hand, and I was pushed back several feet._

"_Essurael!" He bellowed. Without knowing it, the sorcerer, Essurael, and his demon, Krusima, were right behind me. He outstretched his arm and grabbed my shirt, pulling me in._

_I landed hard on my back on the forehead of the demon. It was rough, yet it looked smooth at first sight. _

_Quickly, I stood up, and without thinking, drew my shotgun._

_What luck, he did the same. A gun was right in front of my face and his. At least now I know I won't be dying alone._

_Without warning, he tripped me, and I once again fell hard on my back. He aimed his gun at me. Hastily, I rolled on my side. The bullet missed and hit Krusima the demon instead. It roared in pain as it shook its head. I fell down, yet somehow, Essurael managed to stay atop it._

_Once again, I was plummeting down to Midgard, only now there was no saving hand to help me. On the side, I heard Nadine's scream as Fakir molested her. The images, I knew, would be imprinted on my mind forever. Unforgivable._

_Turning around, I kicked the air and started rocketing towards the airship, as if being pulled by magic. In a matter of seconds, I reached the airship and rammed Fakir. I landed hard on my chest, while he on his back, near the edge of the ship._

_Too bad. He could've fallen off._

_He slowly stood up. Then, I saw a large wound on his arm, which looked strangely familiar to mine. In a state of fury, he dashed towards me and rammed me off the ship. _

_Oh great, I'm falling—again. _

_Suddenly, I was hit again from behind, by…Fakir? How was that possible? How could he possibly have that much speed?_

_Without warning, he appeared once more in front of me and rammed me yet again. Then he hit me from behind, sending me plummeting towards the airship, where I landed hard on my chest. My chin was bleeding, along with my tongue. Not good. Definitely not good._

_I slowly stood up, choking blood. Fakir landed in front of me and picked me up by my shirt. He glared at me again through those merciless eyes._

_I'll show him merciless!_

_I punched him in the nose. He immediately let go of me and began to apply pressure on it—standard first aid. I hastily took my shotgun and shot his arm once more._

"_That was for trying to kill me!" I exclaimed._

"_And this—" Nadine said as she lifted her foot. Was she about to kick him? "—is for molesting me! UN-FOR-GIV-ABLE!" She bellowed, pushing Fakir off the ship._

_Immediately, we heard a blast where the cockpit was. There was a problem with the engine and were going to crash._

_I peered down the ship. Krusima the demon caught Fakir, as Essurael tended to his wounds, with Fakir glaring at me full of hatred._

"_Re! We're going to crash!"_

_I know that. Don't rub it in._

_I helped her get in once more, then I followed. Hastily, we ran to the cockpit._

_  
"I THOUGHT YOU KNEW HOW TO FLY THIS THING!" I bellowed at Kaizel._

_His personality had changed back to that when he was with Fakir. That cold, stern voice, along with that bad-ass look on his face._

"_YOU—" He began, "FORCED ME!" _

_He pointed his new handgun at me. Nadine kicked it off his hand. Looks like she learnt some martial arts._

_It slid across the floor. I wanted to get it so badly, but I couldn't—apparently, he was my ally now._

"_Stop fighting and start thinking! We have to do something! I mean, we can't just die like this!"_

_She was right. We could settle this somewhere else. I looked sternly at him and gave him a nod of approval. He rushed to get his gun and the three of us went to where our hoverbikes were._

_By now, we were nearing the ground. I opened the compartment and took out my coat, donning it on myself. I then mounted it, and Nadine rode behind me, clutching my waist. Kaizel mounted his own._

"_At the count of three, we drive the bikes off the ship!" I directed._

"_We WHAT?" Kaizel and Nadine replied._

"_Gotta problem? Besides, it's our only chance of survival now!" I explained, "One—"_

_Nadine gripped tighter, and I could hear muttering from her lips, as if praying._

"_Two—" We revved the engine._

"_THREE!"_


End file.
